The Esports Club: Riding High On The Gaming Boom

THE ESPORTS CLUB:

RIDING HIGH ON THE ONLINE GAMING BOOM

WORDS BY MRINAL GUJARE

The esports industry is experiencing a boom at the current time. The COVID-19 pandemic which badly hit industries across the globe, made way for people to explore esports from the comfort of their homes. Gutshot spoke to Ishaan Arya, Co-Founder, The Esports Club, who shares valuable insights on the esports industry, its growth and The Esports Club’s success so far.

What is your view on the growth of esports in India, keeping in mind the projection of $3.7 billion by 2024?

The new year is going to be a crucial one for India given the inclusion of esports in the Asian games and how we manage to fill the massive void left by PUBG Mobile. Games like Free Fire will play an important role with premier mobile esports events and opportunities while the likes of Valorant will bring PC esports to the forefront as well. I expect to see continued growth in investments into prize pools, participation and viewership as the industry continues after a strong 2020.

How will the Asian continent’s investments in esports impact its global market?

Asia is a massive hub for esports, especially with mobile esports driving significant growth in the global industry. A lot of countries in South East Asia have tremendous untapped potential when it comes to mobile esports and publishers are stepping up their efforts in the area as well.

What are the major revenue opportunities for brands who plan on

venturing into the esports arena?

Esports provides several monetization options, primarily sponsorships, but on a larger scale, media rights, licenses and franchise fees make up the bulk of the revenue.

How would you describe the growth of The Esports Club since its inception?

We’ve seen astonishing growth over the past 18 months, going from events with a dozen teams and two dozen viewers to hosting the largest Valorant tournament in the world at the time and recording 1 million plus views per month for our esports intellectual properties (IP). It has been a great journey so far with fans and players responding positively to our events and content.

Your view on esports being included in Asian Games 2022?

It’s a fantastic opportunity of course, but most importantly it helps add legitimacy to esports as a competitive ecosystem by putting it alongside traditional sports on a platform like the Asian Games.

Will the inclusion of esports in Asian Games 2022 attract young talent to play professionally?

Absolutely, younger gamers will now see a lot more potential with esports as a career given the increased competitive opportunities across various regions and now with the Asian Games providing such a large platform as well.

What are the company’s future expansion plans?

We plan to continue creating esports opportunities for both top tier and amateur players and backing them up with our world class broadcast and content capabilities throughout 2021. We’re also looking at expanding our scope beyond the games we are invested in right now.

What are the expansion plans of The Esports Club?

In 2021, we will consolidate and expand on a lot of our esports IPs while exploring some exciting formats. We will also be venturing into new games to add to our growing list of esports titles.